What Breast Cancer Taught Me Good Friends Are Few And Far Between

I'm not good with mean period.  But for me what's worse than mean is intentional mean, that's the kind of mean when someone throws you under the bus (we've all had that) but then puts the bus in reverse and stomps on the gas pedal.  That's when I pick up my pen and blog.  You see I know some things about life that most people don't.  As a breast cancer survivor I know life really is short!  Don't sweat the small stuff!  Choose to laugh when at all possible.  Love your children unconditionally and take care of good friends.  So it's fair to say I'm not good when someone thinks they're going to "teach" me a lesson especially when I've done nothing and I mean nothing to deserve such childish, hurtful behavior!  Two of my "best friends" (saying term loosely) decided they don't care for my daughter that has moved into my home in Arizona.  They can't seem to wait until I get off of the plane to talk about her and try and get her in trouble.  Now I didn't give birth in the traditional fashion to this child but she is none the less mine 100%  So if you know me,  you know if you screw with my kids you screw with me.  Numerous times I flew into Arizona the last few months and numerous times one of my friends tried to pick on my daughter.  Each and every time I let it go, (don't sweat the small stuff) right?  Really as my friend it isn't a requirement for you to like any of my kids but you had better be nice to them, especially when I am kind to your children.  I guess as a punishment for them not liking my kid they decided on my birthday they wouldn't come over to say Happy Birthday to me (we live four doors down from one another) the excuse being they didn't know what to do with my daughter there and her boyfriend.  I don't know how about knock on the door?  Just saying.  And four days later when I had surgery they decided that they wouldn't or couldn't knock on the door again because they didn't know what to do because again my daughter was there and what about her boyfriend?  Wait, if my memory serves me correctly I flew to New York last summer, cut my summer in Scottsdale short because I wanted to be there for my dear friend who was celebrating her birthday in New York and her sister that was throwing the party!   And they can't knock on my door to wish me a Happy Birthday or see how my surgery went?  Hit me with a two by four because I'm missing something.  I had to fly back to Chicago and think about how to respond to such nonsense. Thank goodness my Italian father taught me to sit on things and think about them before you act or say a thing!  Were they trying to teach me a lesson?  Don't you think after breast cancer I've learned enough lessons? What lesson did you possibly think you were going to teach me that I haven't learned after facing death head on and cutting off my boobs?   Well let me tell you the lesson you taught me. The lesson you taught me is that you are not my good friends because friends wouldn't treat good friends in such a thoughtless fashion.  The friendship is now ruined and to be quite honest after cancer friends like this I don't need.  But I want to share something with you,  had the tables been turned and the devil himself were at your home I would have knocked on your door with a bible in my hand to be with you on your birthday because I know how very precious birthdays are, and I would have come over after your surgery because after all that's what good friends do.